Political opportunism

The joint opposition does not just want to go to this summer’s electoral ball. It wants to be sure of a full dance card beforehand. And it will not rest until Nawaz loses his head. The sooner, preferably, the better.

In real terms, this means that lawmakers across the great divide want to see the deposed Prime Minister tried for treason. Over his comments about militant proxies crossing the eastern border to commit acts of terrorism. This reflects a peculiarly Pakistani pre-occupation. One that provides that the crime rests never in the doing but in the talking about it. A sort of modern day twist whereby the messenger is most definitely shot.

What Nawaz said was perhaps irresponsible. Especially given the tumultuous period that Pakistan is passing through with regards to the US still insisting it does more, more, more to secure its exit from Afghanistan. And then there is the un-small matter of FATF and the question of grey-listing or worse. Not to mention the fact that the country is preparing to usher in a caretaker set-up. Yet above and beyond all this, the PMLN supremo’s latest misstep indicates a blatant disregard for his party’s political fortunes in the long-term.

Be that as is it may, Nawaz has said nothing that Pakistan’s lawmakers have not heard before. Even if he is now calling for a national commission to determine “who is a patriot and who is a traitor”; while also trying to “find out who laid the foundation of terrorism in the country”. What should concern the joint opposition more is that Hafiz Saeed, who has been designated a terrorist both at home and abroad, reportedly held a rally recently in Lahore in which he advised both Nawaz and PM Abbasi to end their “friendship with India’s Modi as well their enslavement to the US. If the PMLN leadership did this, then the former Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) strongman would then see his way to offering “relief”.

That a proscribed terrorist remains at liberty to issue directives, against a sitting premier no less, ought to be a matter of urgent worry. This is where the focus of accountability needs to be spotlighted. Yet as things currently stand, the opposition has left itself open to charges of opportunism as it collectively seizes the day to have Nawaz removed from the political scene once and for all. Nevertheless, all of Pakistan’s lawmakers need to bear one thing in mind: such moves have a tendency to backfire when least expected. Meaning that today a former PM may be tried for treason for repeating a long-held view. Tomorrow it could be anyone else; say, a leader of a popular party that has never supported the Army conducting military operations against the country’s own people.

To be sure, if this goes all the way to the courts — Pakistan’s democracy will be placed on an even more dangerous trajectory. *